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Donald T. Sterling Sterling World Plaza Beverly Hills, Calif.Dear Donald, I hate to be the one to tell you this but Elgin Baylor just hung them up. Come on, you must remember. Tall, distinguished-looking former NBA great? Headed up your Clippers' front office the last 22years? I knew you'd remember! Oh, you knew about this? Actually, it turns out that you hung up Elgin's shoes with Elgin still in them, officially handing his duties to Coach Mike Dunleavy. Actually, Dunleavy has run the basketball operation for four seasons, if you count the last one when you put Mike on...

(WXYZ) Detroit businessman Dave Bing is ending the speculation, and officially throwing his hat into the ring as a candidate for mayor of the city of Detroit. The Detroit Free Press says Bing confirmed his run in an exclusive interview Thursday night. At least a half dozen other people, including Interim Mayor Ken Cockrel, Jr., have also said they will run in the February 24 special primary. In preparation for a run for the mayor's office, Bing has moved into the City of Detroit, and changed his voter registration. He is the only outsider, with no official connection to the...

Theatre of the Absurd Josh Howard disses anthem on camera Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard's judgment again has come into question. In a video posted on YouTube, Howard was filmed disrespecting the national anthem. At Allen Iverson's charity flag football game in July, Howard made the remarks while "The Star Spangled Banner" was being performed. He said: "I don't celebrate this [expletive]. I'm black." Howard also went on to make a reference about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told the Dallas Morning News that the team dealt with Howard after the incident. "That said, we will...

Josh Howard's decision-making has again come into question after he was filmed disrespecting the national anthem. And the Mavericks are taking steps to help Howard and their other players avoid controversy in the future. In a video posted on YouTube, the swingman is shown at Allen Iverson's charity flag football game in July. When the national anthem is being sung, various participants are shown mugging for the camera. When the camera gets to Howard, he says: " 'The Star-Spangled Banner' is going on. I don't celebrate this [expletive]. I'm black." Howard goes on to make a difficult-to-discern comment that includes...

In what could be hailed the single greatest karaoke performance in the history of recorded music, Portland Trail Blazer Greg Oden grabbed the mic during a charity event in Oregon and ripped out the most ridiculous version of 'NSYNC's "It's Gonna Be Me" you've ever heard in your life.

via translation - On board the plane crashed under the Bishkek could be two prominent basketball players NBA - гендиректор Federation basketball Kyrgyzstan Bishkek. August 24. INTERFAX - on board crashed under Bishkekom Boeing-737 airplanes could stay two famous American basketball NBA, told journalists Director General Federation of basketball Kyrgyzstan Oleg Putilov. "According to my information, players Samuel Perkins and Rebecca Bonner, who were in Bishkek and the town of Kant master classes, were to depart today from Bishkek in Iran - where they took place some competition. Until this all that I know. Ne I can dial up to...

NBC Questions Kobe Bryant’s Pride of Being on Team USA 2008-08-17 -By Warner Todd Huston In a recent interview with USA Olympics basketball team member Kobe Bryant, NBC Sports reporter Chris Collinsworth seemed to question Kobe’s patriotism when the player said that he was proud to wear the team USA uniform. Wondering if it was “cool” to be proud of being on Team USA, Collinsworth seemed to surprise even Bryant with the temerity of the question. Why Collinsworth wouldn’t think it would be “cool” to be proud to be on the American Olympic basketball team is anyone’s guess. In a...

BEIJING – On his way out of the game, Yao Ming thrust his fist through the air, and soon made that long, wobbly walk to the Chinese bench. The end of a brilliant and historic night for basketball, the end of responsibility for Yao. His work is done. Let him rest. “The game was a treasure,” Yao said, “and it will be a treasure for the rest of my life.” Here was a surreal sight on Sunday night in these Olympic Games. Here was the embodiment of Yao Ming’s legacy: His heart, his determination, his immensity. He made possible a...

In a basketball game which featured approximately 600 dunks, including several worthy All-Star Weekend, it might come as some surprise that the most significant aspect of America’s 101-70 win against China was the play of its defense. In the shock and awe of the final score, it would be easy to forget that after 15 minutes of the 40, the score was 31-29. That will give a more honest picture of where the US is in relation to basketball powers like Spain and Argentina. For those first 15 minutes, China played as perfect a basketball game is it could ever...

By DICK JERARDI Philadelphia Daily News jerardd@phillynews.com GERRY DONAGHY was the ultimate old-school referee. He applied the rules. He saw the action on the court. He reacted to what he saw. He made his calls. He did not socialize with coaches. He just did his job. He did it well enough to officiate for 40 years, ref 19 consecutive NCAA Tournaments and four Final Fours. He retired in 1997. After that, he was seen regularly at Villanova or Saint Joseph's or the Palestra for games where he would talk with coaches, media and his many friends in basketball. He was...

In a potentially stunning move that reflects the growing challenge Europe’s basketball leagues pose to the NBA, Atlanta Hawks free-agent forward Josh Childress is strongly considering a three-year, $20 million offer from Greek powerhouse Olympiakos, several league sources said Sunday night. ...Childress, 25, is so flustered with the Hawks’ refusal to make a sign-and-trade deal to another team, one source familiar with his thinking believes there’s “better than a 50-50 chance” he’ll sign with Olympiakos. The team also will cover the Greek taxes for Childress, making it even more lucrative. ... Childress is a restricted free agent, but the Hawks...

EXCLUSIVE: NEW YORK — NBA referee Tim Donaghy made repeated phone calls to a second referee at the same time he provided inside information to professional gamblers during the course of the 2006-2007 season, according to court documents and phone records obtained by FOXNews.com. The records show Donaghy placed 134 calls to referee Scott Foster — more than the 126 calls Donaghy made to his bookie — between October 2006 and April 2007, the period during which he has confessed to either betting on games or passing on game information to gamblers. The majority of the phone calls lasted no...

Four years, two teams and a championship later, Shaquille O'Neal is still ripping Kobe Bryant. Video on TMZ.com shows the Phoenix Suns center doing a freestyle rap in a nightclub on Sunday night in which he puts down his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate. "You know how I be," Shaq rapped. "Last week Kobe couldn't do without me." Bryant led the Lakers to the NBA Finals this season, but they were beaten 4-2 by the Boston Celtics. O'Neal and Bryant last played together during the 2003-04 season, when the duo led the Lakers to the Finals. They lost to the...

SEATTLE — A group of prominent local businessmen, including an attorney representing this city, discussed a "poisoned well” plan aimed partly at forcing the Oklahoma City-based owners of the SuperSonics to sell the NBA team rather than move it to their hometown. 'Poisoned Well' strategy sought to bleed... Sonics cite struggles in Seattle Plan hatched to keep Sonics in Seattle ... Testimony in federal court here Friday also revealed that Wally Walker, a former star player and executive for the team, was given the duty of driving a "wedge” between the NBA and the Sonics' owners before a critical vote...

Lakers 92 at Celtics 131 HAVE A CIGAR!

Make room for a 17th NBA championship banner in Boston. The '07-08 Celtics are back on top of the basketball world, completing an extreme makeover Tuesday night in Game 6 of the NBA Finals via a 131-92 rout of the Lakers. Story

The Seattle SuperSonics Dance Team visited troops deployed to Contingency Operating Base Speicher, located in Tikrit, Iraq, June 11. The dance team wanted to show their appreciation for the military and decided to partake in their own deployment experiences. “My passion is dancing and performing,” said Pilita, a first-year dance team member. “This is the least I could do for the Soldiers. It’s a privilege to be here. I’ve learned a lot.” Not only has this experience been good for the troops, but the dancers have benefited as well in the short amount of time they have spent at COB...

LOS ANGELES – After 72 hours of having the game’s showcase event consumed by talk of conspiracy, the Lakers brought another ugly word to the NBA Finals. Collapse. As Kobe Bryant and his LA teammates watched helplessly, the Celtics came from 20 points down in the third quarter to take an improbable, amazing 97-91 win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at the Staples Center. Boston leads 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Sunday night as the Celtics will have a chance to win the 17th championship in franchise history. For the Lakers, the...

Some good news for NBA fans: The rivarly is truly back! It's the Boston Celtics v.s. the Los Angeles Lakers in the '08 NBA Finals! It should be a decent series, and the national TV ratings should be decent as well.

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on more than 100 games that he worked, federal prosecutors said in a court filing Friday, according to media reports. Donaghy pleaded guilty last year to charges he conspired to engage in wire fraud and transmitted betting information through interstate commerce. He was alleged to have given a pair of gamblers inside information, including tips on which crews would officiate games and how the various officials and players interacted, and collected $5,000 if his picks were correct. According to court filings, Donaghy bet on about 30 games each season starting in 2003 and 14...

snip- He told radio interviewers and a reporter at the golf tournament that the debt stemmed from a wager on the 2008 Super Bowl. He did not explain why Wynn alleged the loans were made in October. "I've been gambling 20 years. I've never had this happen before," the 45-year-old Barkley told WJOX. "It's my fault I let the time lapse. I screwed up." Barkley, now a basketball analyst for Turner Network Television, denied any personal financial problems, and said the casino didn't call him before filing the complaint. "All they had to do is call and say, 'Hey, you...

Former USC basketball player O.J. Mayo, a projected lottery pick in this year's NBA draft, received thousands of dollars in cash, clothes and other benefits in apparent violation of NCAA rules while he was still in high school and during his one year in college, a former Mayo associate told ESPN's "Outside the Lines."

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City officials want Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz to know they expect the Seattle SuperSonics to relocate, regardless of who owns the team. An assistant municipal counselor sent a letter on behalf of Mayor Mick Cornett and other city officials informing Schultz, the team's former owner, that Oklahoma City's lease with the SuperSonics will be enforced no matter how pending lawsuits in Seattle are resolved. "We expect that any subsequent owner or owners would join hands with the city, and its citizens, and honor the OKC NBA agreements, made in good faith, and perform as good corporate...

Sacramento, CA (AP) -- Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson upset local gay and lesbian leaders after saying he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. The former NBA star made the statement in response to a question during a candidate debate this week. Gretchen Bender, vice president of the Sacramento County Board of Education, says Johnson's statement shows that he is not ready to lead the city. Bender and a half-dozen other gay and lesbian leaders held a news conference to express their concern about the former Phoenix Suns star.

The last vestiges of Isiah Thomas’s authority were stripped away Friday afternoon, freeing the Knicks to begin fixing the mess he left behind. Skip to next paragraph Barton Silverman/The New York Times Isiah Thomas had a .341 winning percentage as the Knicks coach. More Photos » Multimedia Slide Show The Isiah Thomas Era Ends Graphic The Thomas Years Interactive For Thomas, Roundball Comes Full Circle N.B.A. Live Scoreboard Results and Schedule Teams | Statistics Knicks Schedule/Results Roster | Statistics Nets Schedule/Results Roster | Statistics Donnie Walsh fired Thomas as coach, two weeks after supplanting him as team president. Thomas will...

One of the most important Constitutional questions in the history of our Republic might be decided over a few acres of rat infested railroad yards in Brooklyn and a handful of doughty home owners who like living nearby. The question is whether the Constitution permits a developer to seize the property of the few residents continuing to live in the footprint of the proposed Atlantic Yards development near downtown Brooklyn. The question is now pending before the Supreme Court of the United States because, as our Joseph Goldstein reported yesterday at Page 1, more than a dozen plaintiffs, including three...

My top five (listed in alphabetical order) Tim Duncan Kevin Garnett Lebron James Kobe Bryant Chris Paul

HOUSTON -- All-Star center Yao Ming is out for the season with a stress fracture in his left foot, a stunning blow to the surging Houston Rockets. General manager Daryl Morey made the announcement Tuesday, hours before the Rockets put their 12-game winning streak on the line against the Washington Wizards. Yao was having a terrific season, averaging 22 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. "It is not an injury we feel he can play with," Rockets team doctor Tom Clanton said. "I've made the recommendation that it be treated surgically and we are working with him to get other...

See and hear former NBA great Charles Barkley call conservatives "fake Christians". http://www.breitbart.tv/html/48184.html

With the Lakers lurking in the Western Conference, they turned to a team far out of the running for a big boost in the playoff race. Hollywood-bound Pau Gasol Los Angeles Lakers Forward PPG RPG APG FG% MIN 18.9 8.8 3.0 50.1 36.8 Los Angeles has acquired Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010, according to multiple published reports.Gasol, who has spent his entire career with Memphis, is averaging 18.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and figures to give Kobe Bryant a formidable big man to fill...

NBA, NFL Go Anti-Gun But are they protecting their athletes, or protecting an image? Last year, Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor got out of bed upon hearing intruders entering his home. The house was situated in a wealthy, gated community on the outskirts of Miami. It was the middle of the night. To protect himself, his girlfriend, and their young child, Taylor grabbed a machete he kept nearby and crept to his bedroom door. So Taylor, in fear, and concerned for the safety of his family, armed himself with a large knife used to hack away at jungle foliage. The...

LOS ANGELES Coach Phil Jackson said he deserved the reprimand he got from the NBA on Wednesday for making a sexual reference in a comment following the Los Angeles Lakers' loss in San Antonio. The Spurs made 13 3-pointers in their 107-92 victory on Tuesday night, and Jackson was asked if too much penetration was leading to open outside shooters. “We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts,” Jackson said. “It was one of those games.” The 2005 film, which won three Oscars, depicts two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair. “But in retrospect,...

NEW YORK (AP) - The NBA has spoken with the Los Angeles Lakers about a sexual reference coach Phil Jackson made in a comment following Tuesday night's game in San Antonio. The Spurs made 13 3-pointers in their 107-92 victory, and Jackson was asked if too much penetration was leading to open outside shooters. "We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts," Jackson said. "It was one of those games." The 2005 film, which won three Oscars, depicts two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair. "The remarks are in poor taste, and the Lakers...

NBA player Gilbert Arenas cheating at Halo 3 http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=13580417&postRepeater1-p=1

McGrady on Africa: 'I knew I had to go' After a journey to refugee camps in Chad, NBA All-Star vows to spread the word about atrocities in Darfur By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle There was so much Tracy McGrady did not know. Not then, not in the beginning. The Houston Rockets star had seen the news reports about the atrocities in the Darfur region of western Sudan, where a genocide has left hundreds of thousands of people dead and millions more homeless and living in bleak desert camps. He had begun to educate himself with conversations with experts....

NEW YORK, NY - New York Nicks president Isaiah Thomas held a press conference today to officially condemn the word 'ho', particularly when used by a white person. The term, deemed by many to be derogatory towards women, recently helped end the career of radio talk show host Don Imus, when he used it describe the NCAA women's championship basketball team. Thomas says the unrestricted use of derogatory terms towards black women must come to and end...

CANTON - Former NBA and Bradley basketball coach Dick Versace hopes to add another win to his record with a bid for Congress. "I'm all in," Versace, a Democrat, said Thursday. His confirmation ends several weeks of speculation about whether he would seek election for the 18th Congressional District seat held by Ray LaHood, who is not seeking re-election.

September 14, 2007 -- The former Knick intern whose sordid sex encounter with hoops star Stephon Marbury was laid bare in federal court this week has agreed to take one for the team. Lawyers representing Madison Square Garden plan to call Kathleen Decker, 24, to give her version of a conversation with former Knick executive Anucha Browne Sanders about the co-ed's racy romp in the star point guard's truck, sources said. Marbury admitted in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday that he scored with the intern in April 2005 after brashly asking her, "Are you going to get in the truck?"...

<p>September 12, 2007 -- Knick President and coach Isiah Thomas can be a charmer with a crowd, but a former team executive suing him for alleged sexual harassment told jurors yesterday he's a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.</p> <p>"He was always starting sentences with the word 'bitch,' " statuesque ex-marketing veep Anucha Browne Sanders testified in Manhattan federal court.</p>

Father of NBA star missing in river Poor conditions forced authorities to call off an underwater search of the Delaware for Floyd Nelson. DAVID SWANSON / Inquirer Staff Photographer Rescue workers scan the Delaware for signs of Floyd Nelson, who was reported missing on Thursday. "You can't see your hand in front of your face," said one official of the murky waters. »  After a gray day spent groping in fast, murky waters, police and fire crews called off their search of the Delaware River yesterday afternoon for Floyd "Pete" Nelson, father of former St. Joseph's University basketball star Jameer...

(CBS4) FT. LAUDERDALE -- Harley Davidson bikers along with former NBA Star Dennis Rodman geared up for the second annual South Florida charity ride. Hard-core bikers from all over South Florida came out to the 2800 block of North Federal highway. About 100 bikers started their ride on Saturday morning around noon, in Fort Lauderdale and made several stops in Broward County. People were able to enjoy taking pictures with Rodman, who said he is never too busy to enjoy the beautiful weather and people. “These are good people and I’m not too good to come and hang around with...

Here's the evolution of the sports celebrity in America over the past 60 years: We've gone from Classic Hero to Anti-Hero to Tragic Hero to Complete Idiot. In other words, we've gone from Stan Musial to Joe Namath to Darryl Strawberry to Michael Vick. I don't know what comes after Michael Vick. I don't want to know what comes after Michael Vick. Back in the day - time out while all the young people roll their eyes - the thing athletes guarded more zealously than anything else was their reputation. With so much less media, it was easier to do....

HOUSTON (AP) -- Former Minnesota Timberwolves forward Eddie Griffin died last week when his sport utility vehicle collided with a freight train in a fiery crash, the Harris County medical examiner's office said Tuesday. Investigators used dental records to identify Griffin, 25, who began his tumultuous pro career with the Houston Rockets in 2001. He was waived by the Timberwolves in March. "The cause of death and manner of death, which also includes toxicology results, is pending," said Beverly Begay, chief investigator for the Harris County Medical Examiner's office. Griffin, a five-year veteran who was the No. 7 pick in...

A rogue ref at the center of an explosive NBA point-shaving gambling scandal will surrender Wednesday to plead guilty to federal charges, law enforcement sources said. Tim Donaghy, 40, who allegedly bet on games at which he officiated and provided inside information to mobsters, is expected to show up before Brooklyn federal Judge Carol Amon on relatively minor gambling related charges, sources said. The plea capped weeks of deal-making between Donaghy’s lawyer and prosecutors. The illegal gambling scam spanned the last two seasons, though feds zeroed in over the past year. NBA officials were horrified at the allegations - and...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Former Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller is considering the Boston Celtics' request to exit retirement and play for the Massachusetts club, ESPN.com reported Wednesday. Miller, who is set to turn 42 this month, retired at the end of the 2005 NBA season after 18 years with the Pacers. He holds NBA records for most 3-pointers made and attempted and is the leading scorer in Pacers history. According to ESPN.com, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers asked Miller to join Boston in a reserve role for the upcoming season. Signing Miller would add to the number...

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The Natural -- Michael Jordan -- should know better than to give Barry Bonds a video salute after slugger's 754th homer SAN FRANCISCO -- He was real. He was natural. His muscular definition, by all accounts, was developed in weight rooms and not in some science lab. His only competitive sin on the court was trying to destroy one's dignity, and when you ponder it all, Michael Jordan's magnificent legacy only should be enhanced by the sleaze surrounding Barry Bonds. So why, after Bonds ripped his 754th home run at AT&T Park, would a tribute from Jordan suddenly appear on...

In addition to being the mob's conduit to the NBA, Tim Donaghy had what is euphemistically known as anger management issues. That is a polite way of saying Donaghy was a jerk in desperate need of a beating, if only to readjust his malfunctioning brain cells. NBA commissioner David Stern said Donaghy's explosive temper came to the attention of the league after a neighbor filed a lawsuit against the disgraced referee two years ago. The suit, initiated by Peter and Lisa Mansueto and chronicled in the Philadelphia Inquirer, portrayed the referee as a nut job who yelled obscenities at his...

For those interested...addressing the referee scandal.

NEW YORK -- The FBI is investigating allegations that veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on basketball games over the past two seasons, including ones in which he officiated. Defense attorney John Lauro confirmed Donaghy is under investigation but refused to comment on the allegations or the case. According to a law enforcement official, authorities are examining whether the referee made calls to affect the point spread in games on which he or associates had wagered. The law enforcement official, who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday on the condition of anonymity, said the referee was aware of the...